How to use medicinal herbs

[Bubu]

hello friends, let me share to you my new discovery

IF "food be your medicine" then medicinal herbs should be part of your diet. For a while I thought I have reach the age barrier of health until I started gathering and drying herbs which I place on tea bags and can enjoy anytime.
suggestions: almost all modern diseases are cause by pollution. detox herbs are important but most people seem to have overlook the blood and vein detoxing. I have the most benefit with blood and vein detoxing herbs. But I do have ganoderma for a long time now. Get some burdock roots or sheep sorrel or neem. It is important to have as many variety. Our body is the most complex factory thus it needs a complete line of raw materials (nutrition). right now I have 9 assortment of medicinal tea.
Enjoy your medicinal herbs and experience a surge in health :muscle:

please share us your wonder herb and tell us what its for. thanks

Note to mods- been trying to upload photos but there is failure notice.

[DeDukshyn]

 
One of my favourite herbs is the Ayurvedic Ashwagandha - proper name is Withania Somnifera, also sometimes referred to as just Gandha, or "Indian" ginseng (although not a true ginseng). It is a potent adaptogen (broad term for balancing tonic), and has many very interesting modern studies behind it.

Clipped brief write up ...




Ashwagandha is an adaptogen. It is supplemented primarily for its ability to prevent anxiety. Ashwagandha’s anti-anxiety effect is even synergistic with alcohol. It also shows promise for relieving insomnia and stress-induced depression. Ashwagandha can significantly reduce cortisol concentrations and the immunosuppressive effect of stress.

Beyond reducing stress levels, ashwagandha can improve physical performance in both sedentary people and athletes, as well as reduce Low-density Lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Ashwagandha can improve the formation of memories, and may be able to treat Alzheimer’s disease, though more human evidence is needed before supplementation can be recommended specifically for Alzheimer’s.

Even though it is a stress reducer and supposedly calms the nervous system, I find I get a bit of lifted focus and almost stimulative effect from it.



Another Ayurveda classic is Bacopa Monnieris, aka just Bacopa. Many studies support the ancient claim that this herb can make people smarter; it has been shown to increase memory / recall and overall cognition greatly in peer reviewed studies, when taken longer term.

Write up ...




Supplementing Bacopa monnieri has been shown to improve cognition, by means of reducing anxiety. It is also reliable for improving memory formation. Though effects of this nature are usually studied in the elderly, Bacopa monnieri appears to affect young people as well, making it a useful nootropic.
...
Bacopa monnieri interacts with the dopamine and serotonergic systems, but its main mechanism concerns promoting neuron communication. It does this by enhancing the rate at which the nervous system can communicate by increasing the growth of nerve endings, also called dendrites. Bacopa monnieri is also an antioxidant.




And I'll mention Rhodiola Rosea, or just Rhodiola, as well. Common in Russia, and apparently taken regularly by Putin. Another adaptogen that can increase energy / cognition, and reduce fatigue.

Write up ...




In regards to fatigue, rhodiola appears to be able to significantly reduce the effects of prolonged and minor physical exhaustion that results in fatigue. This is more related to stress and the 'burnout' effect, or prolonged but low intensity physical exercise. There is some limited evidence that parameters of physical exercise can be improved with rhodiola, but this appears to be limited to untrained persons with numerous studies on trained athletes suggesting that rhodiola does not have an acute ergogenic effect. Despite this, rhodiola appears to be highly reliable in reducing fatigue symptoms and improving symptoms of stress (and secondary to that, well-being) in persons fatigued from non-exercise related stressors.
...
Other potential uses of rhodiola include preliminary evidence that it is highly neuroprotective against toxins (requires more evidence) and that ingestion of rhodiola or its active component can reduce stress-induced binge eating in female rats. In the brain, rhodiola appears to be highly serotonergic (increases serotonin) and reduces corticosteroids; the inhibition of monoamine oxidases (MAOs) commonly attributed to rhodiola may not be relevant following oral ingestion of rhodiola, however.

Rhodiola may also promote longevity, with preliminary (non-mammalian) evidence suggesting up to a 20% increase in lifespan secondary to mechanisms that are indepedent of caloric restriction. Although very promising, mammalian evidence is needed to confirm.



I usually have at least two or all three of these in my cupboard.

[Bubu]

thanks, the leaves of bacopa and rhodiola seems difficult to dry. do you have an oil extract or pulverize roots?

[DeDukshyn]

thanks, the leaves of bacopa and rhodiola seems difficult to dry. do you have an oil extract or pulverize roots?

I believe both are 10:1 concentrated dried water extracts (I can probably get more detailed info if you wish), standardized for their active ingredients. I have the luxury of being a long term employee of what I consider is one of the world's best supplement producers. We buy the product as a dried powder from India (organic), and put it into 2 piece hard vegan capsules.

[Bubu]

thanks, the leaves of bacopa and rhodiola seems difficult to dry. do you have an oil extract or pulverize roots?

I can probably get more detailed info if you wish),

please do if its not too troublesome I want to know how drying is done.
Anyways I only knew of two drying techniques "freeze drying and dehydrating" if there is a third I would be interested.

[shaberon]

I believe in that plus probiotics and fermentation. Those used to be commonly eaten before preservatives.

Sometimes I do take one supplement I wouldn't really grow, Gingko. It can be helpful with tinnitus.

I have tried to start raising several useful herbs, and Ashwagandha has really surprised me. At first I thought there would be hardly any germination, and then over the summer, there were, I don't know, maybe sixty or more. It won't make it overwinter, and I am not sure what to do with that many container plants. There are a lot of other things going, but a lot of them are not useful in the first year, except maybe Calendula.